Sawmill Peak Lookout unstaffed until August

A donation bin for the Sawmill Peak Lookout Tower is set up at PIP Printing. Business, organizations and residents raise money for the tower to be manned from July to October. This year the tower won't be manned until August.

It will probably be August before the Sawmill Peak Lookout Tower is staffed to watch for fires.

"We're going through the selection process right now," said Cal Fire's Greg McFadden, who is also the interim chief for Paradise.

McFadden said he has about 10 candidates ready to be interviewed and he's hoping to get someone up at the tower that looks out over Paradise, Magalia and Concow by the first week of August.

Historically, the lookout has been staffed by July 1, but McFadden said the process isn't as easy as it used to be.

He said Cal Fire is following state hiring guidelines and noted there is now a specific classification for tower lookout operators.

Applications have to go through Sacramento first, he said. A list of those who are qualified are sent to the individual localities to complete the interview process.

Even those who have worked the tower before have to reapply, he said.

That includes Cal Fire's Joe Campbell, who was one of the two firefighters who manned the tower last year.

Though Campbell is a Cal Fire veteran, he still needs to go through the application process because the lookout tower is a seasonal job, McFadden said.

Campbell's name is included on the recent list of qualified applicants.

The tower is generally manned between July and October, providing protection during the peak of fire season.

Losing a watchful eye for month is a concern for locals, especially in light of the dry weather and early fire season.

The tower was actually defunded several years ago by Cal Fire to tighten up the department's budget.

But the community rallied behind the need for the tower and has been holding year-round fundraisers ever since.

It costs about $8,000 to man the tower for one month. The money raised by the community is given to Cal Fire, which then gives it to the lookout firefighters as a salary.

In essence, the community is paying those firefighter's salaries. Cal Fire doesn't have the money to do so.

President of the Friends of the Sawmill Peak Lookout group, Les Olinger, said he has $16,000 in the bank right now for the tower. It is just a matter of hiring the crew.

Generally, Cal Fire hires two firefighters who rotate shifts, spending several days and nights at a time at the tower.

The money also helps with maintenance of the tower, which is constantly getting vandalized while it is unmanned.

Last year, the tower sustained everything from jimmied locks and broken windows to bullet holes. Olinger said there was some vandalism this year as well that will need to be addressed.

Olinger runs the Lookout Store, a second-hand store that donates its proceeds to the Sawmill Peak Lookout effort. The store is located at 202 Pearson Road. The Bare on the Ridge fundraising group will host a benefit golf tournament in August to raise money for the lookout. PIP printing has scratch-paper note pads available for a 75 cent donation, which goes toward Sawmill Peak. Other local businesses also have tip jars to help the effort.

McFadden said Cal Fire understands the value of the towers and mans them when they are able.

In the meantime, he said Cal Fire is working through the process to get someone up there. He encouraged residents to be the eyes and ears for Cal Fire and call 9-1-1 if they see a fire.